Linda (and others), I just went thru that excercise myself.
It bothers me how the drug and remedy suppliers and it seems some of the
professional fundraisers are using PD as a business opportunity. As you
noticed they know how to get ranked high in the search algorithm.
And obviously, the search engines sell search-dependent advertising.
Then there are the "hit seekers" who sell advertising space and who provide
some amount of PD material or other special interest stuff. They appear to be
less complete and less current in the information they provide.
And then there are the jewels, the resources like this list, Janet's site,
John Cottingham's etc. Operated by volunteers without funding. And somehow
these are the best sites by a long shot.
So how do we tell the newcomers where to start and what they can ignore...
Also, how do we protect these jewels and their continuity...
It would seem to me that this internet thing can be very useful but is going
to ttake some work to use it well. Ideas anyone?
Linda J Herman wrote:
>
> Thanks to Murray Charters for all the Parkinson's links you have been
> sharing with us - it would be great if all these links could be included
> on one or more of the PD Web Sites for permanent reference. It's very
> helpful to see good web sites that have been selected by other list
> members. I find it's getting more and more difficult to sift out the
> "good", from the growing number of commercial sites and all the
> misinformation on the Web.
> This morning I tried doing a simple Alta Vista search for
> "Parkinson's Disease", as a new Internet user might do - and looked at
> the first 20 results.
> But first, on top of the screen was a banner ad (these are often
> customized according to your search topic) stating: "Live Your Life" - -
> "Share your victory" -- "Join the PWP Community" Great! I thought - some
> good publicity for the Parkinsn List, or maybe some other online PWP
> group - so I "clicked here" as instructed, and found myself at the
> SmithKline Beecham Requip Web site - promising to "give you details on
> the latest developments and treatment options."
>
> There was only one report - a Requip study under the heading "Welcome
> News for Parkinson's Patient : A New 5-year Study Yields Dramatic
> Treatment Results" No other meds or treatments were mentioned. I know
> companies, including pharmaceutical companies are allowed to advertise,
> but they should make it clear from the start, that's what they are doing.
>
> In their People with Parkinson's Community section, a few PD chat rooms
> were listed (not PIEN), and there were a few names and e-mail addresses
> of people who had registered - certainly no substitute for a PD community
> like PIEN. Later in the day I tried the same search again, and this time
> the banner message was - "Living with PD? You Can Have symptom relief -
> You Can Have Control - You Can have mobility -- Click here." Just
> wondering, if others question these kind of marketing methods too?
>
> Back to my search results : Among the first 20 Alta Vista results were
> some very good PD sites - the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (#2),
> Awakenings (#3), Simon Coles' James site (#4); Phil Tompkins PD Index -
> which would be one of the best places to start was #19. But also among
> the first 20 web sites were companies selling herbs, vitamins, and other
> products - all claiming to offer PD information. Also "Dr. Bob's
> Psychopharmacology Tips" (#9). All I can say is - Know Your Sources.
> As a fitting end to my search, as I reached the bottom of each screen,
> Alta Vista asks - "Have you tried these resources?" And advises me again
> to Click Here to. . . "Comparison shop for "parkinson's disease." Which
> naturally left me wondering if I overpaid for my PD -- the next time I'm
> shopping for a chronic disease, I guess I'll try Alta Vista first! :)
>
> Linda Herman
--
Frans van Duinen
(416) 652-8580
Toronto, Ontario
